1. Lesson 2 - Multi-Dimensional References
Topic 4: Referencing
Lesson 2 - Multi-Dimensional References

2. Lesson Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
reference cells across worksheets and files
define 3D cell ranges
transpose cell ranges
use MATCH and OFFSET to build more flexible models

3. Referencing Cells
Formulas and functions generally contain references to cells containing values.
References can be:
2D references with column and row, e.g., C11, or KK32
3D references with column, row, and worksheet, e.g., Categories!C3
4D references with column, row, worksheet, and file, e.g., [Budgets]Categories!C4

4. Cell Reference Format Each cell reference uses this canonical format:
To reference a range across cells in the same worksheet:
To reference the same cell across multiple worksheets:
=[FileName]Worksheet!Cell
=[FileName]Worksheet!StartCell:EndCell
=[FileName]Worksheet1:WorkSheetN!Cell

5. File Path Names
Be sure to only use the file name in your file reference rather than the full path, i.e., do this
[otherFile.xlsx]Worksheet!B4
instead of
["c:\users\martin.s\otherFile.xlsx"]Worksheet!B4
The reason is that otherwise if your files are moved to a different folder, the reference will no longer work.
Of course, if the file is always in the same folder then an absolute path reference is appropriate.

6. Entering Multi-Dimensional References
A multi-dimensional reference can be typed in using the format shown or selected:
in the cell into which the reference should be placed, enter =
open the file and/or worksheet
click on the cell or range to be referenced and press ENTER

7. Transposing Cell Ranges
Often a worksheet is in the "wrong" layout and columns should be in rows and vice versa.
To "transpose" rows into columns and vice versa, copy the cells and then do a "Paste Special" with Transpose.

8. CS Principle
The OFFSET Function
The OFFSET function returns a range of cells that is "offset" a specified number of rows and columns from a starting cell.
Combining OFFSET with MATCH can help build more flexible models.
=OFFSET(reference, rows, columns, [
height][, width])
reference -- starting cell
rows -- number of rows from the starting cell
columns -- number of columns from the starting cell
height -- the height of the range
number of rows
width -- the width of the range
number of columns
B4:B6 are literal
strings.
=OFFSET(A2,3,1)
Returned by
OFFSET(A2,3,1)
Computer Science Application:
This is a "relative" pointer reference to memory.

9. The MATCH Function
The MATCH function looks up a value in a cell range and returns the relative position of the value within the range.
Computer Science Application:
This is a "binary search" and the lookup range must be sorted unless you specify a match type of 0.
=MATCH(B7,A1:A5,0)

10. An Example: Flexible Modeling
B1 is changing, B2 must reflect that change.
=SUM(OFFSET(A5,MATCH(B1,A6:A12,0),1,1,4))

11. Dependencies Visualized

12. Restricting Input with Dropdown Lists
To avoid data entry errors, use dropdown lists:
create a named range of the values in the dropdown list
select the cell in which the dropdown should appear
navigate to Data | Data Validation
select List from the Allow list
enter = and the named range

13. Lesson Summary In this lesson you learned how to:
create 3D and 4D cell ranges
transpose cell ranges
work with relative cell references

14. Questions?